House Kirks lie at the core of the life of our church. Whenever we gather in the name of Jesus, the love, grace and power of God flows — shaping our souls and healing our world. We all long to connect to life-changing communities where we can be transformed and empowered to serve Christ and His Kingdom.

Our vision is to catalyze and support the formation of community at Westkirk by encouraging our members to join a House Kirk and by helping our House Kirk leaders to establish and maintain safe, healthy, and spirit-filled groups.

When you join a House Kirk you will:

Do Life Together: House Kirks are a place to connect with others in our church family, to share your praises and concerns, and to let others know you.

Grow: Through studying, discussing and applying God’s Word, your House Kirk will help you to grow to be more like Jesus in your character. You will find your small group to be a place where you both give and receive encouragement to take steps of faith and obedience in response to how God is working in your life. House Kirks are one way that we strive to live up to the mission of our church, “To Know Christ and To Make Him Known.”

Worship & Pray: Surrendering who you are for God to use for His honor is the essence of worship. Your House Kirk will encourage one another to continually live with this mindset and to make yourselves available to God for Him to use you as He sees fit. Beyond this, some of the groups do have a praise and singing time or a time of prayer that focuses on praise and adoration of God.

Have Fun: As described in Acts 2:42-47, our House Kirks gather together for fellowship, the breaking of bread, with glad and sincere hearts. House Kirks are not just about studying the Bible, they are about doing life together and are intended to be places where members of our church family can gather and enjoy being in each other’s presence.

If you have questions about House Kirks or about Westkirk, I would like to encourage you to contact the church office at 515-253-0330 or email me at steven.randall@westkirk.org. Also, our House Kirk ministry brochure, which contains answers to several common questions about House Kirks, can be downloaded directly from the file sharing widget on this blog or can be picked up at the church office.

My prayer is that you will find a House Kirk in which you can experience “life together” with a few others and continue to grow in your journey to know Christ as your Savior and King.

In Christ,

Steve Randall, Assistant Pastor
Small Group Pastor
Westkirk Presbyterian Church

L: Love your neighbors

I: Invite someone along

F: Find ways to serve together

E: Engage God and his Word

Let’s look at these one at a time. As we do, think about your current group or the last year of your group and see if these were a reality in how you lived life together. If one or more were missing, think about what it would look like to bring these into the heartbeat of your small group.

L: LOVE YOUR NEIGHBORS

You will recall several passages of Scripture where Jesus commands his disciples and other followers to love one another, to love their enemies and to love their neighbors. We are called to be lovers…no ifs, ands, or buts. Being a loving community begins with those in our own group. There are many “one anothers” in Scripture and the majority of these have their root in loving one another. In fact in John 17, Jesus tells us that the world will know Him through how we love one another.

However, we are to love beyond our groups. Can you imagine your group being an agent of love to others in your neighborhood, workplace or to your friends in some tangible way? The sky is the limit of being a loving group. Do I need to ask what you think the response would be from the people who were the benefactors of our love? I can share from experience that they would not only be appreciative, but would find themselves drawn to the group, church or at least want to ask a few questions about why you would do such a thing. Great open doors!

The first aspect of group LIFE is loving our neighbors…those within AND outside our groups.

I: INVITE SOMEONE ALONG

How did you get connected to your group? In most cases someone invited you. You love, I love, and people love being personally invited to something. It says, “I really like you and want you to be with me at ________.” I am asked to do many things, and so are you. But when I am personally invited, I stop and consider the invitation. Most of the time, when I am personally invited, I find a way to accept the invitation. Invitations are magnetic and powerful.

Over the next year as a church, we are going to hold as our highest goal that everyone connected at Christ Church would invite someone along. So the question stands, has your group been an inviting group? Think about the possibilities of the people in your group praying for others and extending personal invitations to join the journey of your group. While on one hand this could be exciting to think about, the reality is that is does change the dynamics of your group. The one thing I have found over the years is that people will often guard their community and fight to keep it the same because it meets a real need in their lives. Let me bring you in on a little secret. I was there too. It was only when I finally opened my groups up to the possibility of inviting people in did I realize that, yes, my group changed, but it was always for the better. You see, no group remains the same…even if you tell yourself it does. Groups are always changing and when we allow new life into our group with people we know and love, the group experience gets richer as God works and moves in each person connected.

One other thing I learned is that when someone is invited into a group that impacts their life, they are very likely to invite others from their network to experience the same thing. When these ripples begin, we will experience an amazing tidal wave of connection and movement of the Spirit in our congregation and neighborhoods.

The second aspect of group LIFE is inviting someone along to our group’s journey together.

F: FIND WAYS TO SERVE TOGETHER

Do you remember the powerful picture of Jesus washing his disciple’s feet, taking on the very nature of a servant? Do you remember what he tells his disciples? He tells them to become servants, just as he came to serve.

In our groups, we want to find ways to serve BOTH inside the church AND out in our communities. If you haven’t noticed, servanthood is sweeping through our country and virtually everyone (both Christian and non-Christian) loves to serve and make a difference. No wonder…it is at the heart of God. Imagine again the impact your group could have on Christ Church if your group volunteered to serve in some capacity every now and then. Imagine what it would mean to your neighborhood, community, workplaces, or friends if your group simply rolled up its sleeves and served in some way with no other motivation than to be the love of Christ in that moment. Blessings would abound!

Not only this, every time your group serves together, you build a memory and share an experience that enriches and deepens the relationships of your group. It is the natural byproduct. I often say that it is not the group meetings that deepen a group, but the experiences and connections they share outside the regular group meetings. Some of the greatest gifts you can give your group and others are finding ways to serve together.

The third aspect of group LIFE is finding ways to serve together on a regular basis.

E: ENGAGE GOD AND HIS WORD

As we began this article by speaking of our Life-Change Principles, we see engaging God and His Word coming full circle and tying into the principle of life-change happens where God’s truth meets our lives. Not every group is the same when it comes to their format, focus and time they spend studying Scripture, but in every group we must hold high the value that we are focused on and guided by Christ and his word. Without engaging God and his Word, we are a social club. Without engaging one another, we are an academic class. Our motivation and driving force in all of our communities must be engaging God and his word. So we will ask that all our groups find ways to engage Scripture in some way and make sure we engage God through prayer appropriately, no matter what kind of group of which we are speaking. I have never seen God bless anything for the Kingdom where he was not the center and focus of it all. To thrive as a group you must engage God.

The fourth aspect of group LIFE is engaging God and his Word as a central focus of our life together.

There you have it, Group LIFE. In the months to come, we will have opportunities to talk and bring these values into your group. As we check in, we will use LIFE as a means to discuss how our groups are doing. As we press ahead, we will share stories and find creative ways to live LIFE in our groups. I am very excited about where we are heading and what it means for the influence of the church in the western suburbs and beyond. In the mean time, glance over this article again and begin evaluating and brainstorming how your group has lived LIFE in the past and what you could do beginning this fall to live into group LIFE. If you need even more motivation for group LIFE, imagine a thousand people or more loving their neighbors, inviting others along, finding ways to serve and engaging God and his Word. That has the makings of a movement that will shake the gates of Hell!

This past Sunday C.J. traveled to Virginia to preach at KingsWay Community Church. After the meeting, C.J. enjoyed lunch with the small-group leaders of the church, addressed them from 1 Corinthians, and fielded questions.

In light of 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, C.J. encouraged the small-group leaders to identify evidences of God’s grace in those they love and serve, and provided a “starter’s kit” on how to accomplish it.

In part he said,
Most people are more aware of the absence of God than the presence of God. Most people are more aware of the presence of sin than evidences of grace. What a privilege and joy it is in pastoral ministry and small-group ministry to turn one’s attention to ways in which God is at work, because so often people are unaware of God’s work. And much of God’s work in our lives is quiet; it’s not “spectacular.” It’s rarely obvious to the individual, and normally it’s incremental and takes place over a lengthy period of time.

So, informed by Paul’s leadership I want to interact with everybody by identifying an evidence of grace, because if they are Christian I know God is at work in their lives. What a joy it is to discern where and how God is at work, draw people’s attention to it, and celebrate God’s grace in their lives! The fact that we get to do this—how cool is this?

And I also know this is critical preparation for any correction that genuinely needs to take place in their lives. Because identifying God’s work in their lives gives them faith for the correction they might be in need of, and they can consider that correction without collapsing under that correction being unaware that God is at work in their life.

See, Paul’s correction of the Corinthian church is effective because he has faith for this church. When we correct people, they can tell whether we have affection for them and faith for them. I sadly know what it’s like to correct somebody where I neither had affection for nor faith for—as if the correction alone was sufficient and most important. That is not true. This is not an expression of the character of God and that is not biblical leadership.

I would encourage all of us to restrain ourselves from correcting someone until we have developed, to some degree, affection for them and faith for them.

So how do we identify evidences of grace?

Here is the “starter’s kit” I recommend for recognizing evidences of grace. (It’s a “starter’s kit” but you will never outgrow or exhaust it.) Just take two categories, the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. Work from those two categories and lists, study those lists in the Bible, look up from studying those lists, and look at Christians around you. You will see God at work everywhere you look.

God is working. God is very busy. God, give us the eyes to see how you are at work so we can identify that, draw people’s attention to it, celebrate it, and assign all glory to God for that work!

-C.J. Mahaney, addressing the small-group leaders of KingsWay Community Church in Midlothian, VA (January 27, 2008).

First things first, what is a Small Group Champion?

A Small Group Champion is the shepherd of small group leaders—in short, a leader of leaders. A Small Group Champion cares for the spiritual welfare of the “brain trust” of the small group ministry—the small group leader—and helps him or her to be successful in leading a small group. A Small Group Champion has the spiritual gift of leadership.

If you have a heart for small groups and you feel the call of taking on a leadership role in the church, please pray about being a Small Group Champion and contact Pastor Steve if you have questions or would like more information.

Four steps to a smooth transition into “normal” group life.

posted 04/14/08, By Bill Search

Sample Form: Church-Wide Announcement for Small Groups

Adapt this sample form to announce and promote small groups in your church.

posted 03/31/08, By John R. Throop

The Vision Behind Small Groups
Here are practical answers to many common questions about small groups in church.
posted 11/02/07, By Russ Robinson

Expert Advice for Small-Group Facilitators
Why obedience and a caring heart are all you really need.
posted 10/12/07, By Steve Gladen

Where the Divorced Get More than Sympathy
An innovative small-groups ministry for a neglected group of people.
posted 08/31/07, By John J. Van der Graaf

The Childcare Checklist
Use this practical tool to determine the childcare options in your small group.
posted 07/30/07, By Michael Mack

Key Principles for Re-Launching
John Atkinson discusses several important factors for small-groups ministries contemplating a re-launch.
posted 06/18/07, By John Atkinson

The Challenge of Challenging People
Practical advice for those willing to minister at the margins.
posted 05/25/07, By Pat J. Sikora

A Spiritual Growth Industry
Small groups are helping Christians bring faith to bear in the for-profit world.
posted 04/11/07, By Randy Christian

Support Groups May Be Worth the Trouble
A church needs to carefully consider the risks and benefits before launching a group.
posted 04/04/07, By Randy Christian

E-Groups
Sometimes, the ideal small group doesn’t have all its members in the same room.
posted 02/05/07, By Marilyn A. Yocum

Nine Ways to Support Your Support Group
Follow these foundational steps to get your groups off to a great start.
posted 01/12/07, By Randy Christian

Drawing Men into Small Groups
A proven plan for reaching reluctant men.
posted 10/27/06, From the Church Leaders Answer Book

Finding God in Small Groups
Tom Albin’s doctoral research reveals why the Wesley’s system worked so well.
posted 10/03/06, Interview by Tim Stafford

How to Start an Accountability Group
Become accountable to grow in your Christian life.
posted 09/22/06, By Christopher Easley

Building (or Rebuilding) a Healthy Small Group Ministry
7 important questions to consider.
posted 07/24/06, By Jeffrey Arnold

Launching Community
Three steps to making your small group dream come true for your church.
posted 06/22/06, Lifetogether

Questions: Icebreakers and Beyond
Steering your discussion the right way.
posted 05/23/06, Lifetogether

Transformation Takes Time
How small group leaders cultivate spiritual growth.
posted 01/31/05, Lifetogether

When You Realize Numbers Don’t Matter
Why small group success can’t be measured by numbers.
posted 01/04/05, Lifetogether

“Dude, I Can’t Shepherd a Small Group?”
5 tips on building community in your next group.
posted 10/11/04, Lifetogether

Why Small Groups Are a Big Deal
Seven things every pastor needs to know about the emergence of small group ministry.
posted 9/15/04, Lifetogether

A Simple Picture of Success
Four basic principles for growing a healthy small group.
posted 8/30/04, Lifetogether

No Time. No Resources. No Leaders.
Four tricks to launch something big with small resources.
posted 8/16/04, Lifetogether

From Dream to Reality
Most leaders who dream of “finding a shepherd for every sheep” find themselves a bit lost when it comes to starting small groups. You’re not alone.
posted 9/19/04, Lifetogether